Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror |מָרוֹר

For the people of God, even the bitterness of a history of bondage in "narrow places" is interjected with sweet demonstrations of love, grace, faithfulness, and progression towards the goal of full and lasting freedom. Similarly, our concern for the Earth is coupled with joy and awe at how well it has supported life. We acknowledge this by dipping our bitter herbs into the sweet charoset. We don’t totally eradicate the taste of the bitter with the taste of the sweet, but perhaps it reminds us to hold both.

ברוּךְ אַתָּה יְיַָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מרוֹר:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat bitter herbs